1. Field
The field of the invention disclosed herein is a steering mechanism for a gooseneck trailer which may be towed behind a truck or other vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trailers have been developed and used for many years to enable relatively large amounts of goods and materials to be transported from one place to another. Initially, trailers were pulled by humans and later by animals such as horses, cattle or oxen. Today, trailers are pulled by motor powered vehicles such as trucks, sport utility vehicles, and automobiles. With the advent of gasoline and diesel engines, trailers became larger and heavier and could transport more goods faster than if the trailer was pulled by humans or animals.
Trailers have taken a variety of sizes and shapes. There are big rectangular trailers pulled behind powerful tractors, smaller trailers adapted to be pulled by smaller trucks and pickups and yet smaller trailers which can easily be pulled by an automobile. In addition to being diverse in size and shape, trailers are also diverse in the method used to connect the trailer to the towing vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1a (prior art) one popular method is to mount a ball hitch on a receiver attached to the towing vehicle. The tongue of the trailer is equipped with a complementary coupling mechanism which fits over the ball hitch and locks in to place. For extra security, chains are attached to the tongue of the trailer and are connected to the bumper or frame of the towing vehicle. Other trailers are connected to a pickup truck by a so-called “gooseneck” which is so configured to extend out front of the trailer and is connected to the pickup truck by a receiver hitch attached to the floor of the pickup bed as shown in FIG. 1b (prior art). So-called gooseneck trailers have become popular in agricultural and ranching applications. A gooseneck trailer can be configured so as to transport livestock such as horses and cattle from one pasture to another or to market. Gooseneck trailers can also be used to haul hay and feed for the animals. Still other gooseneck trailers can be used to haul sand and gravel and other materials and goods.
Despite their popularity, problems exist with towing the gooseneck trailer. Since the gooseneck trailer is hitched to the bed of the pickup truck, the gooseneck trailer is dependent on the pickup truck for steering and to some extent, braking. In making a sharp turn in a pickup pulling a gooseneck trailer, the pickup must swing out wide so that the trailer can safely make the turn without taking out fire hydrants, telephone poles, signs and the like which may be located on the corner in which the pickup truck is turning. Further, since gooseneck trailers attached to pickups may travel at much higher speeds than their animal-pulled ancestors, braking may be difficult even if the gooseneck trailer is equipped with brakes, especially if the gooseneck trailer is heavily loaded. Another problem is that the hitch located in the bed of the pickup truck takes up valuable space even when the gooseneck trailer is not connected to the pickup truck. What is needed in the art is an apparatus to ease turning, maneuvering, controlling and braking of gooseneck trailers pulled by pickup trucks.